It is also a high point of "Swiss mythology": according to legend, the castle of the bailiff Gessler, the oppressor against whom the national hero William Tell rose, stood nearby.

None of this is historical reality, even though in the vicinity of the town there are the ruins of a "Gessler Castle", so called only since the 19th century, during the rise of the founding myths in Swiss popular imagery.

Not very interesting ruins, in fact. For a dive into the legends, one would rather take a walk along the mysterious Hohle Gasse, just outside Küssnacht, on the road to Immensee.

Küssnacht am Rigi is an ideal starting point for discovering central Switzerland, but that's not its only advantage: the historic centre has a fair amount of charm and the lakeside is really beautiful.

From Küssnacht, you can't climb the famous Rigi (which is actually reached from Weggis, a village further south), but a cable car takes you up to Seebodenalp, at 1030m, right at the foot of the Rigi, where the panorama is spectacular and the hiking opportunities endless.